After what was a pretty dramatic lead up week itself, the 2020 Grammys ceremony did not disappoint. Just days before the ceremony, the organisation put their new female CEO, who had been hired to help promote change for this year, on leave, and then filed an explosive discrimination complaint. And, despite the fact that Los Angeles, the Lakers family, and the world are mourning the tragic loss of Kobe Bryant in a helicopter accident, the show did go on.
We tracked the formal list of winners here, and you’d have to be living under a rock not to already be following just how much Billie Eilish was honoured, but there was so much more to unpack when it comes to who won what and who was snubbed. Check out a highly subjective rundown of the biggest winners, losses, and upsets of this year’s ceremony.
Winners: Paying tribute to Kobe Bryant
Alicia Keys kicked off the night right: by acknowledging the deep sadness that most, if not all, attendees were experiencing over the death of Kobe Bryant. By giving space for a sombre moment that acknowledged his legacy, and the dissonance of trying to celebrate on such a horrible day, Alicia’s speech cleared the air for everyone, and allowed the evening to become, in part, a celebration of Kobe’s own love for music. All throughout the night, Kobe’s jersey showed up in performances, proving just how much of an impact he had on hip-hop as well as sports.
Winner: Demi Lovato’s stunning comeback single, Anyone
After an incredibly rough 2019, one that included addiction, an overdose, and the aftermath of that, Demi Lovato has returned to music with the stunning, emotional new single Anyone. She debuted it in a live performance at the Grammys that can, even after overuse of the phrase, only be described as incredibly brave. We’re rooting for you Demi, welcome back.
Winner: Billie Eilish was the night’s biggest winner
While we don’t necessarily agree with the Grammys giving all four of the big awards to Billie — and neither does she, from her reaction — it was great to see a young woman — and a pop artist, at that — getting so many big awards. Although, given the history of the Best New Artist curse, perhaps we should be a little bit worried about Billie at this point? Nah, she’s probably good. Congrats to her.
GRAMMY winners @lizzo and @billieeilish congratulate each other backstage. ?? Follow us on @triller for more #GRAMMYs moments! pic.twitter.com/VP1heTWJ7y
— Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad) January 27, 2020
Loser: Lizzo’s genre-only wins continue the Recording Academy’s history of not giving major awards out to female artists of color
Yes, Lizzo was thrilled to win one of the first events of the night with her big Best Pop Solo Performance victory for Truth Hurts, and she even picked up two more over the course of the night for Best Urban Contemporary Album, and Best Traditional R&B Performance for Jerome. But given she was nominated in some major categories, it is a bit disappointing that the Academy didn’t give her a big win and instead relegated her to genre and racial lines. Urban is just another synonym for Black, and just like Tyler, The Creator called out his Best Rap Album win as a “backhanded compliment,” the same applies to Lizzo. Again, the Academy are the losers here, not Lizzo.
Winner: Tyler The Creator finally picks up his first Grammy
No matter how he ends up feeling about this Grammy win, seeing Tyler, The Creator take home a trophy was a huge win tonight. Between the adorable moment with his mother, who he credits for his success, and the ultimate petty Twitter moment after the ceremony, Tyler is celebrating to the best of his abilities. Here’s hoping that the next time he puts out an album, the Academy doesn’t force it into genre categories and gives him proper Big Four consideration.
